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A total of 993,000 learners sat the national examinations, with girls accounting for half of the candidature. The briefing was presented to the President before the results are officially released today.
The council clarified that all examiners who completed the marking exercise and left the centres have been fully paid.
CS Ogamba on Friday said 32,558 examiners have been posted to 40 centres across the country, where strict monitoring measures have been put in place. He said examiners from centres previously linked to malpractice have been excluded to maintain credibility.
CS Ogamba confirmed that while most centres observed the rules, cases of cheating were still reported and are being processed by investigators in line with the KNEC Act of 2012.
Ogamba thanked candidates, teachers, security officers and members of the public for supporting the exercise so far. He urged Kenyans to stay alert and report any suspicious behaviour using KNEC’s toll-free numbers 0800721410 and 0800724900. Cases involving police misconduct can be reported to IPOA through toll-free line 1559.
PS Bitok, who later visited the affected communities in Marakwet East, expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, calling it a painful moment for the education sector.
To manage the exam, 342,687 personnel have been deployed, including invigilators, supervisors, centre managers and security officers. Ogamba also highlighted a public reporting system that allows Kenyans to flag cheating attempts and officer misconduct.
CS Ogamba said the council’s approved recurrent budget for the 2024/25 financial year allocated Sh5.9 billion for national assessments and examinations. Out of this, Sh3 billion was designated for the KCSE exams, Sh2 billion for the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), and Sh900 million for the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA). However, the total requirement stood at Sh12.72 billion, creating a funding gap of Sh6.8 billion.
Speaking on Wednesday, October 29, Ogamba said the release schedule is designed to ensure smooth processing and a timely transition for learners under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
The KCSE written papers are set to run from November 3 to November 21, lasting 18 days. The Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) will see 1,130,669 learners participate, while another 1,298,089 candidates have registered for the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA). Both assessments are scheduled between October 27 and November 6.
Parents have been directed to pay a total of Sh69.5 million for the reconstruction of damaged property before their children are readmitted. The matter was certified as urgent by Justice Joseph Sergon, who instructed that the case filed by Sheria Mtaani na Shadrack Wambui, a human rights lobby, be mentioned on October 23 for the allocation of a hearing date, two days after the national exams start.
The 2025 exams will see a record 3,424,836 candidates sit for KCSE, KPSEA, and KJSEA. This massive exercise will be supported by 10,765 centre managers, 12,126 supervisors, 54,782 invigilators, and 22,247 security officers for KCSE alone. Primary and junior exams require even more staff, including over 125,000 invigilators.